Washing-machine



UNTTED STATES PATENT OTTTPTQE,

H. G. ROBERTSON, OF GREENVILLE, TENNESSEE.

WASHING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 10,117, dated October l1, 1853.

Be it known that I, H. G. ROBERTSON, of Greenville, in the county of Greene and State of Tennessee, have invented a new and useful lVashing-ltlachine; and I do hereby `declare that the following is a full, clear,

and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure l, is a plan or birds eye view of the machine. Fig. 2, is a vertical longitudinal section ofthe machine.

Similar letters of reference in each of the several figures indicate corresponding parts.

The nature of my invention consists in constructing the machine with a rocking frame having a hinged slatted washing board arranged inclining in each of its ends and having suitable cords for holding t-he clothes, while being washed arranged under its bottom in combination with the box or tub in the sides of which the bearings of the rock shaft are secured and allowed to turn. The said tub being divided into two compartments, so that white and brown clothes may be Washed separately in the same machine and at the same time and the bottom of the tub being slatted so as to work in combination with the slatted wash boards and effectually operate upon the clothes in each compartment alternately, and remove all dirt from them with the greatest ease and despatch. The rocking of the shaft and the consequent up and down motions of the slatted wash boards being the only operation requisite and this can be done by a child. The said alternate motions of the rocking frame causing either of the slatted washing boards having the clothes tied under them, to descend and strike parallelly the horizontal bottom and the hot suds which latter are forced through the pores of the clothes by the two slatted surfaces coming together and thereby caused to separate the dirt from them, the air which the clothes catch in descending aiding ma terially the entrance of the steam or suds through the pores of the clothes and the eectual operation of the same.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention I will proceed to describe it more minutely.

A, Figs. l, and 2, represents the washing tub or box in which the Washing is carried on. This tub has a number of longitudinal slats c, nailed to the top surface of its bottom, the object of which is to more thoroughly operate upon the clothes. This tub also has a partit-ion B, placed across its center, which partition serves to form two separate compartments, one for the purpose of washing line clothes in and the other for coarse clothes; or colored clothes in one and white in the other, this division board B, can be taken out when it is desired to wash bed clothes, the manner in which said operation is performed is very nearly the same as that of washing light clothesexcepting that the heavy coarse clothes are attached at each end to cords and laid along on the slatted bottom instead of being secured by cords to the washing boards, as the light articles are. The wash boards striking near the center alternately wash them with very little trouble.

C, represents the rocking shaft which carries and operates the vibrating frame D, in each end of which hinged slatted wash boards E, E, are secured at an angle of about 30 degrees from a horizontal plane as shown in the drawing. These boards E, turn on a center (l, or work on a hinge which keeps them always attached to the vibrating frame and yet allows of them being thrown up to the position shown by red lines in Fig. 2, when it is desired to place the clothes on the cords which retain the clothes against the bottom of the slatted wash boards while the operation of washing is being performed. To raise either of these boards to the position shown in red it is necessary to take out the pin 0, and slip the piece marked d, down from under the ledge e, to the position shown also in red; this heing done the frame can be raised and thrown to said position; thereby leaving the cords 7), bare so that the clothes can be placed easily on the cords after which the wash board is again drawn over the clothes and secured fast by the slide d, and pin c, as seen in Fig'. 2, the red coloring being intended to exhibit the clothes secured to the boards. The clothes being all properly arranged and the two boards equally balanced, the lever E, secured in the rock shaft is drawn from its central vertical position l to the black dotted line l thereby causing the wash board on the right end of the machine to descend and strike parallelly the slatted bottom-or assume the position indicated by the black dotted lines while the other wash board vis thrown upward some distance-this operation causes the hot suds to penetrate through the clothes and wash the dirt out-the two slatted surfaces efectually operate upon the clothes after being thus soaked. After depressing the right hand board that on the left is depressed in like manner by moving the lever Jfrom the black dotted line l ,to the red dotted line t which operation causes the board and clothes to descend to the position shown in red line -l-, and be operated upon as just described. The main object effected by thus alternately raising the washing boards is that the clothes are caused to till with air as they descend and consequently as the slatted boards press on them the steam and suds will be more readily forced through the pores of the clothes and cause the dirt to be removed perfectly. v

This machine has been tried and found to answer the purpose intended far better than any thing heretofore used-it being very cheap and durable and clothes can be washed in afew minutes with as little labor` as is generally expended in rocking a cradle.

Nhat I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The employment of the double chambered slatted bottom tub A, in combination with the vibrating or rocking frame D, constructed with two hinged slatted wash boards E, E, which have cords passing under the bottom of them for holding the clothes against their bottoms while washing, the said boards E, E, being made movable or swinging so that the clothes can be easily laid on the cords, and they also being set in such a position that they and the clothes will always be caused to strike parallelly the slatted bottom and the hot suds in the tub and force the latter through the pores of the clothes and cause them to be Washed clean, the whole being constructed and arranged and operated in the manner described.

H. G. ROBERTSON. /Vitnesses Jol-1N D. MGCURLY, Jol-IN S. BIDDLE. 

